Frank Kelly will not die wondering.
Kelly is entered in the Allcomers category and if his impressive performances are anything to go by, rally fans are in for a treat. His succinct description of how he drives is "chaotic" but Kelly was happy to elaborate.
"Some people say flamboyant. Most of the time I think I’m slightly out of control. It’s when I’m completely out of control that things go bad," he laughed.
Kelly’s family are heavily involved in his rallying and wife Rosemarie, daughter Lauren, who is Miss Media, and son Jack have all travelled with him to Otago. Kelly was the subject of a project Lauren was doing for her media studies course and she is responsible for his subsequent internet fame, which has seen him amass more than 100,000 YouTube views and 11,000 Facebook followers.
"That’s all Lauren’s doing," Kelly said, proudly.
It is Kelly’s first trip to New Zealand and it has long been a dream of his to rally here. He spent many years watching the World Rally Championship rounds in Australia and New Zealand and has competed across the ditch.
"Everyone that comes to New Zealand says they are the best roads in the world. I never thought I’d get the opportunity to do it. I have to keep pinching myself."
Most of the Otago Rally’s international guests drive locally supplied cars, such as defending classic winner Estonia’s Markko Martin, who returns this year to pilot the Rossendale Wines-prepared Ford Escort RS 1800. Not Kelly — he has a heavily modified friend in his Ford Escort, which has travelled from Ireland for the event.
He has had the car for a decade, which he said had not been a very careful 10 years, so it has undergone a recent rebuild, leaving it a long way from original.
The 2.5-litre GM engine puts out 238kW (320hp), it has a six-speed sequential gearbox, DMS suspension and a "well tested" roll cage.
The 2008 British Rally Championship 2WD champion, Kelly has fellow Irishman North Island-based Noel Moloney co-driving for him and although the pair have never met, at least conflicting accents will not be a problem.
Kelly’s main competition will be last year’s winner, Christchurch’s Deane Buist, and former New Zealand rally champion Brian Stokes, both driving Ford Escort Mk2s.
The Otago Rally is the first round of the New Zealand Rally Championship, and also features the International Classic Otago Rally. Starting at Dunedin’s Octagon on Friday with a ceremonial start from 5pm, the event features 14 special stages on Saturday and Sunday, with a competition distance of nearly 285km.
Baby Blue
Ford Escort Mk2 (Group 4 spec)
Engine: 2.5 Vauxhall
Gearbox: Samsonas six-speed sequential
Axle: Atlas casing, Elite LSD 4.4 CWP
Suspension: DMS, four-way adjustable shocks all round
Brakes: AP four pots front, two pots rear; Galfer brake pads
Wheels: GP4 revolutions
Fuel: Panta race fuel
